Car-underframe.



W. A. STEARNS.

UAR UNDERFRAME.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 23, 1s13.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

w. A. STEARNS. GAR UNDERFRAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1913.

Patented Dec.2,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED s'rArEs PATENT oFF oE.

WALTER A. STEARNS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GAR-UNDERFRAME.

Specification of'Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2,1913.

,Application filed May 23, 1913. Serial No. 'i69,374.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, WALTER A. STEARNs,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the'county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Underframes, of which the following'is a specification.

My invention relates to railroad cars and has particular reference to a novel means for strengthening the center sills and providing adequate shock absorbing facilities whereby the blows sustained under butting are transmitted to the car body.

A very great number of cars have heretofore been built with wooden underframing, particularly wooden center sills and such cars are constantly being built it being much ch n per to construct cars in such manner. than to provide an underframe of fabricated steel. However, it is found in practice that due to the excessiye shocks of butting these wooden center sills become broken at the ends and further, that they will not hold the bolts by means of which the draft sills are attached thereto. I propose to suitably reinforce the wooden center sills of such cars by means of a cast steel strengthening member which shall extend to a point to the rear of the body bolster. I have found that much of the destruction and fracture of the center sills occurs at the ends between the body bolster and the end sill. I propose. therefore to terminate the center sills at a point just ahead of the body bolster abutting the ends of the sills against shoulders forming part of the reinforcing castings, these shoulders forming also a portion of the'rear stops for the draft rigging. By this construction I have found that bulling shocks are. applied directly to the ends of the sills, there is no tendency to dislocation of the fastening bolts and the shock is more evenly distrilmted to the frame members and the body bolster.

I am aware that the idea of strengthening wooden center sills by means of a reinforcing structure which shall extend to the rear of the body bolster is not new having been heretofore shown in the patent to (rznvforth No. 915,272.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the acctmipanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a. pair of reinforcing members secured to wooden cent-er'sills and cooperating with a wooden end sill and a metallic body bolster; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the reinforcing member's; Fig; 3 is an end view; Fig. 1 is a transverse section on the line -t'l of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a similar section on the line 55 of Fig. 1, the body bolster being omitted.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that my novel reinforcing member is composed of an integral casting having a rearwardly extending vertical web 10, anda horizontal web 11, these webs being arranged at right angles and providing an elongated pocket within which a wooden center sill 12, is accommodated. At the front end of the webs 10, 11, a shoulder 13 formed this shoulder providing an abutment against which the end of the center sill 12 may rest. This shoulder 13 also provides a stop 11, fora draft rigging follower. It will be noted by this construction that excessive butting shocks are transmitted direct from the rear follower to the reinforcing member and thus directly to the ends of the center sills. ward from the web 11 are ribs 15, providing a wide groove Within which the lower portion 16 of a body bolster can be accommodated.

Extending forward from the abutment 15. the reinforcing member takes the form of the draft rigging cheek plates and consists of a vertical web 17, having horizontal flanges 18, and provided with notches 19, within which the draft rigging followers are accomnn)dated. The ctmfigurati-on of this portion of the reinforcing member will correspond to the type of draft rigging to be employed and mayvary' widely.

The for ':1rd end of the reinforcing memher is terminated in an abutment 20, for an end sill. Projecting beneath this end sill is an integral shelf 21, on which the end sill rests and through which fastening boltsQl may extend. In order to suitably strengthen the end sill at the point of connection I have provided a strengthening plate 23, which extends above the end sill and overlies the. reinforcing members at a point considerably to the rear of the end sill. This member 23 is suitably bolted through the end sill but is securely riveted by three rivets to each of the reinforcing members.

Secured to the front. face of the endsill I Projecting dowm provide a cast b'uiie'r block' 24, which difiers 'somewhatfrom the blocks heretofore em: ployed in that it extends laterally to apoint where it ma accommodate thetightening nuts for the longitudinal truss rods of "the car. These rods are shown inFigs. 3

and 4. This buffer casting is also rovided'f with a horizontally extending she i526, on each side of the line of draft, this shelf act-.

ingas a strengthenin member, and also as a support for an angu ar, carry iron 27. The

applied as repairs and in such case the end sill is removed, the center sills are sawed oil and the reinforcing members applied.

Itis obvious that modifications maybe made in the construction shown and such modifications as are within the scope of my claims I consider within the spirit of my invention.

' I claim:

1. In underframing for railway cars, the combination of: center sills terminated at apoi'nt between; the end'sill and body bolster, and a combined center sill reinforcing member and draft sill applied tosaid center sills,

said reinforcing member having .a portion extending to the rear of the body bolster and ha ving a squared-shoulder against which the end of the center sill mayabut whereby buffing-force is a plied directly torthe ends of said center si s, substantially as described.

2. In underframing for rallway cars, the combination of center sills terminated at a point between the end sill'and body bolster,

and combined center sill reinforcing members and draft sills applied tosaid center sills, said reinforcing members embracing said center sills onboth sides of said body bolester and each being provided with a transverse shoulder against which the end of a shortened center. sill may abut whereby bufiing force is ap lied in a direct line against the ends 0' said center sills,- substantially as described.

WALTER A. STEARNSI Witnesses:

T. D. BUTLER, CHAs. F. MURRAY.

copies of this latent may be obtainWtor-flve cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents.

' Washlngton,D.0. 

